Enjoy the Sweeter Side of Life . . .

Padre Pio

The weather a few Sunday mornings ago was awful… overcast and rainy. It was too bad, I thought, because the Padre Pio Festival was going to take place later in the day. As the morning progressed, I began to doubt that I would even go because it was simply yucky out.

Friends and Neighbors meet and dance at the Padre Pio festival

Well the weather looked as though it was letting up, so Jill, my mother-in-law and I piled into the car and took off for Our Lady of Pompeii on Dante Ave. We arrived to ever increasing good weather (the sun actually came out!) and a grass field absolutely packed with cars and trucks.

There were so many people there, I couldn’t believe my eyes! We walked closer to where the action was, ducked under yellow caution tape set up around the perimeter and dodged several large puddles that the rain had left earlier in the day. Under the canopy of trees were dozens of picnic tables, almost all of them with ringed with people eating, drinking, and talking. The hum of hundreds of conversations filled the air, as well as the cheerful sound of Italian singing and instruments coming from the stage.

Almost immediately, we saw folks that we knew… friends, family and guests of ours from the bakery. It was silly how much of a social event this festival was. Not only did we see all sorts of people that we knew, it seemed as though everyone there was running into people that they knew as well. What an amazing event!

But as much as I loved talking to friends and family, what I really went for was the food! In the middle of the festivities was the dessert and coffee area, which was loaded with Italian pastries, but that would have to wait since I was hungry for lunch! Along the back of the festival was a long covered area, with little kitchenettes, each filled with busily working volunteers. Above each kitchenette was a sign; just a single word that announced what was being served underneath. ‘Pizza, Sausage, Eggplant, Meatballs, Porchetta.’ Porchetta sounded interesting, so I immediately went to that booth to see what was going on.

As I walked up, I caught the savory smell of roasted pork. It’s aroma was heavenly. Behind the counter, there was a crew of gentlemen carving up whole roasted pigs. The crusty brown skin of the pig was no match for their sharpened knives as they carved and the meat from the animal and then placed it onto cutting boards. From there, large cleavers dramatically chopped the meat into small pieces before it went into a warming vessel. Squares of foil were laid out, and rolls were placed in the center. Tommy Merighi then placed a tong-full of pork onto the roll, wrapped it up, and handed it to me. ‘Buon appetito!’

The ‘porchetta’ was phenomenal. The pork was very moist, a bit salty, and the roll absorbed the juices from the meat. It was so good I could have eaten another one, but I wanted to try something else! I then got in line to get the sausage sandwich. Dozens of sausages were browning on a flat top range, and when I ordered my sandwich, one was plucked off the heat and placed in a too-short bun. I was instructed to put grilled peppers on my bun, if I so pleased, and was directed to two pans… one with sweet peppers, one with long hots. I wedged a few sweet peppers under the glistening sausage, and placed one long between the meat and bun.

Folks enjoying the Italian food and fellowship

I savored every bite of that sandwich too. It was simple, but delicious. And eating it with all those people around, the Italian music filling the air, and the smell of pork in my nose added to the ambiance and enjoyment of the food.

The Padre Pio Festival also had the added benefit, aside from the amazing food options, of offering dirt cheap, local and fresh-as-can-be produce. Local farms donated all the produce sold that day, with the proceeds going straight to the church. It’s a true community event, because the farmers and their families actually worked the booths as well!

You can't get any fresher than Jersey Fresh!

All sorts of vegetables, herbs, and greens were being sold, all for next to nothing. We picked up leeks, escarole, beets, lettuce, arugula, basil and more. All told, we spent $13 and got bags and bags of produce!

Chef Jill with her fresh produce

Before leaving though, we had to get some dessert. After walking out to the car to drop off the produce, we went back to the dessert island to pick out what we wanted. Since it was an Italian festival, we went for the homemade goodies… tiramisu, cannoli, and sfogliatelle. To be honest, I’m kind of a dessert snob (I can’t help it), but these desserts were excellent. They were moist and creamy, crispy and flavorful, and I was definitely impressed.

The Padre Pio Festival ended up being blessed with great weather and a great turnout. It was nice that there were so many places to sit… to eat, drink, be social, and marvel at how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful area. I already can’t wait for one of those porchetta sandwiches next year… Salud!